Poultry Research & the University of Illinois Campus

Illinois is not known as a key chicken production state. Regardless of this fact, the state’s Land Grant university is a primary player in the poultry industry. Todd Gleason has this review of ILLINOIS’ applied research prowess and its relationship to the state’s agricultural feed production history.

Farmers in the Prairie State raise corn and soybeans and they do it really well. These crops are used to feed animals and birds; chickens. Lots of chickens, but most of them are reared in other states. Much of the feed comes from Illinois and so does the research that supports the nation’s poultry industry says Ken Koelkebeck (coal-keg-beck) from the University of Illinois.

Quote Summary - One of the first things we did was to develop a specific line that allowed the color sexing of baby chicks. This was very important because it made it easy to do research. We had two breeds, back in the 1950’s, when crossed together that produced chicks that came out color sexed males or females.

All the female chicks are brown and all the male chicks are yellow. It is really hard to tell the sex of the chick otherwise. The research breed is maintained and used on campus still today.

Quote Summary - It has been very important over the last thirty or forty years. We’ve developed nutritional programs like the non-feed withdrawl molting program. The industry, after ten years of research at ILLINOIS, has adopted it as the standard method for molting laying hens. This happened starting January 1, 2006.

Today more than eighty-five percent of the commercial egg laying operations molt their hens using the University of Illinois developed method. The history of the specialized research breed along with the powerhouse production of poultry feed stocks in the state, corn and soybeans, continue to converge to make the Urbana Champaign campus one of the top five poultry research universities.

Cost of Diesel & the Farm

The price of diesel has dropped and this should be helpful to U.S. farmers.



U.S. farmers struggling to find ways to cut cost will find the price of diesel fuel somewhat comforting. It is one of their larger input costs for the production of a row crops like corn or soybeans. This year that fuel cost will be sharply lower says University of Illinois Ag Economist Gary Schnitkey.

Quote Summary - Since 2011 on through 2014 diesel fuel prices have average about $3.50 per gallon. Today’s cost is about a 36% decline. It is a significant decline in the cost of diesel fuel from the last four years.

Here’s how that costs translates directly to the farm. Last year fuel cost Illinois farmers, on average, $24 per acre of corn production. A 36% drop puts that estimated cost this year at $15 per acre. It’s a nine dollar savings, but certainly not enough to really ease the coming income woes of the American corn farmer comments Schnitkey.

Quote Summary - The total cost to raise an acre of corn is about $600. So, the fuel savings is a relatively small portion of the total cost of producing corn, and for that matter soybeans in the state.

Schnitkey thinks producers should certainly consider taking advantage of the diesel fuel prices today. The other two items of note related to energy costs concern drying corn in the fall and nitrogen fertilizer. The ag economist thinks drying costs should be much lower this fall. As for the cost of nitrogen fertilizer - and this would be for next year - well he says…

Quote Summary - Patients, relative to nitrogen fertilizer and buying it, might be a good thing. Because maybe someday that will come down.

The cost of nitrogen fertilizer this year is actually higher than it was last year. Its primary creation cost is for natural gas.

Beef Industry Continues Lower Production Trend

The beef industry stands alone in 2015 in its continued reduction in supplies available to consumers.

2014, by contrast, was a special year for the animal production industry. It set record high farm level prices for cattle, hogs, broilers, turkeys, milk and eggs. 2015 should see much lower annualized prices after the surprisingly fast expansion of the poultry, pork and dairy industries. Beef stands alone in the continuation toward lower production. This does not necessarily mean the price of beef will remain record high. Live cattle futures are suggesting a return to a more normal seasonal price pattern this year. This would mean that while beef cattle have so far traded higher than last year, that pattern would end now says Purdue University Extension Ag Economist Chris Hurt.

Hurt :26 …a couple of dollars lower than 2014.

Quote Summary - The futures tone stays weak through summer with prices falling to the middle $140s by the end of summer and then rallying to the low $150s toward the end of the year. With prices so far this year and futures estimates for the remainder of the year, finished steers would average $153, a couple of dollars lower than 2014.

That’s Chris Hurt’s view, however, USDA has a different take. Agency forecasters in the April 9 WASDE (wahz-dee) report took a much more bullish path with $163.50 at the mid-point of their annual estimated range. Also of note is that USDA analysts increased the potential range of prices as the year progresses. One reason to increase a price forecast range is because of greater uncertainty says Hurt.

Hurt :19 …with annual prices near last year’s $155.

Quote Summary - My judgement is that ultimate prices may be somewhere between these two. Current high $150s prices could drop to the very low $150s by late summer and recover to the mid-$150s by the end of the year, with annual prices near last year’s $155.

One thing seems certain, explains Chris Hurt in his May 4th article on the farmdocdaily website 2014 was an extraordinary year for the animal industries. So comparing this year’s prices to last year’s prices may bring inherent dangers. The beef industry, he says, is the only one which will not increase production this year and therefore has a reasonable chance of seeing annual price averages near 2014 levels.

Black Cutworm Early Season Threat to Corn

Corn farmers should pay attention to the spring migration of the black cutworm. The moths wing their way into the Midwest every year.

The black cutworm rides the southerlies north into the Corn Belt. The female moths look for farm fields lush and green mostly with weeds. Winter annuals are the favored nesting ground says University of Illinois Extension Entomologist Mike Gray.

Quote Summary - They go into those fields and lay eggs. They lay eggs on those weeds. Eventually, once the fields are planted with corn, many of the surviving black cutworm larvae will move off the weed hosts onto corn seedlings. Corn fields in the one-to-four-leaf stage are very susceptible to cutting.

If those cuts are made below the growing point of the corn plant, then it dies. Most of the cutting, says Mike Gray, takes place over night or occasionally on a very overcast dark cloudy day.

Quote Summary - Growers are encouraged to look for early signs of black cutworm activity. This would be small pin hole areas on leaves that have been removed by the caterpillars in their one to three instar stage. Once they caterpillar reaches the fourth larval instar stage it can begin to cut plants.

Many insecticides can be used as rescue treatments if needed to combat the black cutworm. Most Bt corn is also capable of protecting the crop, but not in equal measure.

Quote Summary - Not all Bt hybrids offer the same level of protection when it comes to black cutworms. Some are quite good, but finding that trait can be confusing. I encourage growers to use the Handy Bt Trait table put out annually by Michigan State University. Search Google for “Handy Bt Trait Table ”. It is very informative and identifies if the hybrid chosen offers black cutworm protection.

If the hybrid chosen does not protect against the black cutworm, then the farmer will clearly, urges Gray, need to pay much more attention to the lifecycle of the insect and potentially gear-up for rescue treatments as needed.